The final whistle confirmed the disaster, but the real temperature check came when Mark Pope sat down for his post-game interview.
As Jeff Goodman noted, Pope looked as down as he has ever seen him. The coach, who "lives and breathes" what Kentucky means, admitted he is fumbling the bag. The reason why is terrifying: he didn't see the collapse coming.
EXCLUSIVE: Mark Pope spoke with @GoodmanHoops following tonight's loss to Michigan State ud83dudc40
"We're facing a monumental challenge right now... I'm disappointed with how disconnected we've been. I thought I had a better pulse than this.